5.4.8 PTR: Stacking Valor Buffs, Deeds of Valor, and New Mount Models

The 5.4.8 PTR was updated to the recent datamined build this afternoon, so Olivia and I checked out what was new! The new mounts were not seen on the PTR, although we do have 3D models below of them. But we were able to experiment with the new Heart of the Valorous buff and determined that it was automatically given to all players across PTR realms and stacked additively with Valor of the Ancients--great for alts!

Edited to Add: Logging in to the PTR today, the zone-wide buff has been removed. We're now not sure how it's attained, but we'll let you know when we find out!

The PTR is now live and Heart of the Valorous appears to be a patch-wide buff to all players, granting 100% additional valor! All we did to get the buff was log in to the PTR.

Deeds of Valor was also on the Timeless Coin vendor, with no Shaohao or other reputation required to obtain it. A brand new character can purchase it with coins.

And what's more, the Heart of the Valorous buff means that your Deed of Valor will actually award 200 Valor in return for your 3000 Timeless Coins.

It also appears to work alongside the Valor of the Ancients buff, as a 5 VP daily awarded us 12VP once capped -- 50% more being an extra 2.5 and 100% more being an extra 5. Both buffs seem to apply to the original 5 VP reward.

What's more, our testing indicates that Heart of the Valorous and Valor of the Ancients both work across factions and realms. This means that completing Empowering the Hourglass will award a huge 500 Valor Points with both buffs active -- 200 from the base reward, 200 from Heart of the Valorous and 100 from Valor of the Ancients.

Claims of "lazy" are completely unfounded and unfair. This new ravager mount is not a literal skeletal copy-paste with a new model. Even if it was, that would have been a big job. But it is the second largest and second most intensive/extensive task for 3D artists that was involved here. No, they didn't grab a new skeleton because they knew it had to behave roughly like an already existing creature does (the silithid), but they also certainly didn't just stuff a silithid skeleton on to the model and call it a day. Like the Pterodactyl mount that they created using the Proto-drake mount skeleton as base, they modified existing animations to be less choppy, more lively and well-animated, and added new animations altogether in many cases. Of course that is obvious for the flying, but there are also other new animations.

Case in point: the running is similar, but there is no way it wasn't modified. The silithid's animation isn't particularly great compared to the ravager's. You can see the ravager actually set the steps, while the silithid glides across the ground. Not that I'm trying to bash the animators of that time because WoW was different then, and the models were of lesser quality for good reasons, not because the animators and modelers were bad.

Comment by Wombat62

on 2014/05/16 00:49:39

What's the point of letting it fly if we can't fly in Draenor? How about just giving them a faster ground speed?

we don't know what the speed of ground mounts will be in WoD yet so you may get your wish

Comment by Nulgar

on 2014/05/16 01:16:11

What's the point of letting it fly if we can't fly in Draenor? How about just giving them a faster ground speed?

That it can fly probably means it's a Store Mount, since there already is a CE Mount.

Comment by zotheghost

on 2014/05/16 02:44:46

Oh man, I so want that Grinning Reaver! *____*

Comment by Screamin

on 2014/05/16 03:05:06

Valor is going to be so easy to get know cant wait!

Comment by Whitecell

on 2014/05/16 03:24:29

Sorry striking out here with me again blizz! I'm with that guy that is suggesting faster land speeds!

-Tubs

Comment by Lighthorn

on 2014/05/16 05:38:13

I need it.

Comment by perculia

on 2014/05/16 06:37:51

Version 2 of the stables at your Garrison will increase player mounted speed actually:

Comment by Ruiru

on 2014/05/16 06:49:24

Faster valor gain but the cap remains the same, I guess it's good for alts if you have them. I would like to see the weekly valor cap higher than 1000 though.

Comment by ADDOriN

on 2014/05/16 07:40:29

Those look sick! Looking forward into em!

Comment by Huludicidal

on 2014/05/16 08:10:34

Dat Grinning Reaver...*drools*

Comment by Azrile

on 2014/05/16 08:29:20

There are a lot of things, which all combined, are going to make getting alts ready for WoD much easier. If you play your alt at all, you should easily be able to outgear the first and maybe second zones of WoD, which is great for disenchanting (and gold) and also makes leveling faster.

1. Garrosh will have a 100% droprate for your main spec weapon the first time you kill him after 6.02. Increased droprates in LFR3. Gear able to upgraded 4 times4. Easy VP capping, with all these buffs.

Once 6.0 hits, I am going to be playing a lot, just getting all 11 alts above 530ish.